MASTERYour

MEAL PLAN
become a healthy, intuitive cook

FREE Sample
TEMPLATE
RECIPES
‡ Contents
Why cook without recipes?
2 steps to cooking without recipes.
Smooth Veggie Soup Template Recipe.
Quick Stir Fry Template Recipe.

interactive document - clickable links

why cook
The biggest driver for me was time. Working as a young winemaker
I didn’t have the luxury of an hour to spend each week picking out
recipes, writing my shopping list.

without
Or much time for shopping.

There were lifestyle influences as well. When I was living in the

recipes?
Barossa Valley my Saturday morning ritual was to head to the farmers
markets. I’d grab a coffee and sometimes a bacon and egg roll and
stroll around the markets picking up whatever looked good.

This market-led type of food shopping was heaps of fun. But it didn’t
lend itself to recipe cooking.

So I found myself starting to create what I now called ‘template

recipes’ based on successes I’d had in the past. I then used these
'templates' to branch out and cook on my own.

Cooking without recipes was much more fun and (mostly) just as
delicious, if not more so. It also meant I had far less waste because I
used what I had.

Another benefit was that I was completely flexible, if we had to stay

back late at the winery one night and ended up ordering pizza, it
didn't matter. My ingredients wouldn't go to waste and I didn't ever
have to feel guilty about not sticking to my plan.

So are you ready to join me in this land of kitchen freedom where you
are free to create a meal without recipes any time, any where?

I firmly believe YOU CAN learn to cook without recipes. You just need
to take it slowly and follow these simple steps...
 2-steps
STEP 1. Start ‘tweaking’.
If you're already someone who usually makes a few little changes
to recipes as you cook, go to the top of the class! You've already
mastered step 1 and can move on to step 2.

to cooking If you're more of a follow the recipe to a 'T' type of person, don't
worry. I've got you covered too.

without You may or may not have noticed but at the end of my recipes on my
blog, thestonesoup.com I usually include a list of 'variations'

recipes
These are usually ideas for changes if you need to adapt the recipe to
suit an allergy or if you're missing a particular ingredient.

The recipe variations are a perfect starting place for you to begin
'tweaking'. And before you think, I can't do that, remember that
there's no 'right' or 'wrong' when it comes to cooking. The only way
to learn is to get into the kitchen is to try things.

A while ago I had lunch at Noma in Copenhagen which was at the

time the 'best restaurant in the world'. As expected, the food was
really amazing. Not only tasty but beautiful as well. One of the things I
really loved was that there weren't any waiting staff. The chefs brought
each dish to the table which was awesome because we could chat
and ask questions. One of the chefs told us that the reason he loved
working at Noma was because of the philosophy of the owner, Rene
Redzepi. He expects his chefs to have failures from time to time
because if they don't it means they're playing it too safe. And you
don't make new discoveries by playing it safe.

So if its OK for the best restaurant in the world to have kitchen

disasters, isn't it OK for you?
 2-steps
I challenge you to step up and start trying some of the ‘variations’
I list at the bottom of each recipe. I especially want you to try the
more ‘out there’ variations. The ones that make you feel a little bit
uncomfortable.

to cooking Then when you’ve pushed yourself on the tweaking, it’s time for Step
2…

without STEP 2. Branch out to ‘template recipes’.

recipes
I did this unconsciously myself, but I wish I’d had someone to show
me the way. I would have saved myself loads of time and mistakes.
Not that mistakes are a bad remember.

Template recipes are the secret to learning to cook on your own. Its all
about thinking in more general terms rather than specific ingredients.
Armed with a good collection of ‘templates’ you’ll find that you are
able to open the fridge and see delicious possibilities.

Let me show you an example and before I forget, I've included a free
PDF for you to download under this video. It includes a few of my
favourite template recipes so you can try them for yourself.

If this sounds a bit too much, the good news is you don’t have to
figure it out all on your own. If you join me for ‘Master Your Meal
Plan’ I’ll be sharing 71 of my best template recipes and showing you
exactly how to put them to use.

Before you know it you’ll be one of those people who can just
effortlessly ‘whip something up’.
Well I know you can!
Over the past few years, I've helped thousands of people learn to
cook without recipes. Here's what some of them had to say about
it…
Anna, Master Your Meal Plan Owner.
“The biggest change is that I don’t follow recipes to the
T anymore – I am substituting different ingredients
based on what I have on hand – a big change for me. I
am wasting far less food. Also I am managing leftovers
better again wasting much less.”
Larry, Master Your Meal Plan Owner.
“I feel more confident with creating a meal with what I
have on hand with the template recipes.”
Joules, Master Your Meal Plan Owner.
“Before finding this class I was frustrated by recipes. I
would go to the store and by all these ingredients then end
up with one thing to eat. I wanted cooking to be as easy
as the green shakes I like to make: pick something that
makes it creamy (banana, yogurt, etc), pick something
to add bulk (apple, peach, cucumber), pick some greens
(anything leafy), pick something flavorful (honey,
mint, or raspberries, etc…). It’s based on stuff I already
have, and always ends up good. The template recipes
are just like this! Totally makes sense! I’m still not
particularly good at cooking, but at least I’m actually
trying now. Not having strict recipes makes it more
fun.”
Nichole, Master Your Meal Plan Owner.
“I am able to cook dinners that my family truly enjoys
as many nights a week as I need to without repeating
the same 5 dishes over and over and without buying a
bunch of groceries that ultimately go to waste because our
schedule changed.”
Cherie, Master Your Meal Plan Owner.
“I am less scared about starting with ingredients first,
rather than a recipe first. I can look into my cupboard
or fridge and know that something will evolve from my
new found experience.”
And I should have mentioned earlier, another huge benefit of
learning to cook without recipes is that you don't have to worry
about whether you'll like something or if it will suit your dietary
requirements because you're in control. You never have to use
ingredients you don't like or can't eat.
Imagine that! Rather than only having a handful of recipes to choose
from, you'll be able to make your own version of any of the 71
template recipes included in the upcoming Master Your Meal Plan
program.
So you might be thinking, 'This sounds great Jules, but I just don't
have the time or money right now to invest in learning a new skill like
reversing my meal planning and cooking without recipes.'
And I get where you're coming from, however, imagine what your
life would be like if you didn't have to plan?
What if you could just buy your ingredients (or have them delivered)
and then decide what to cook as the need arose. How much time
would you end up saving if you didn't have to plan your meals and
write your shopping lists each week? And how much time would
you save if you didn't need any extra trips to the store?
Then multiply that time by the weeks and months and years. It adds
up to be quite considerable doesn't it?
Don't you think its worth investing a few hours now to save yourself
all that time for every week of rest of your life?
And from a financial perspective, think about how much money you
currently spend on eating out and takeout because of meal planning
'fails'. And what about the cost of throwing out wasted ingredients?
Just something to think about.
If you enjoyed this free video training and want to go deeper. I would
love you to join me for Master Your Meal Plan which is starting soon.
Basically it's a 4 week video based training program that gives you
a proven method to free yourself from the constraints of traditional
meal planning and learn to cook without recipes.
In other words, you'll discover how you can become a healthy
intuitive cook.
In a few days I'll email you a link to another video which will tell you
all about the program and if you want you can register on the spot.
So keep an eye out for the next video which will go into much more
detail. Until then, if you haven't already done so, please shared
these videos with at least 3 of your friends who need help with their
meal planning.
And before I go, Imagine what it would be like to be free of the
constraints of meal plans and recipes… Imagine the impact on your
health. Your waistline. Your energy levels. Now imagine how that
would spread out and cause ripples in the other areas of your life.
I'd love to know what your vision looks like, why not drop me a
comment and let me know. I'm looking forward to hearing what a
difference this could make to your life!
Thankyou for watching and here's to you 'reversing' your meal plan
and becoming a more healthy intuitive cook!
With love,
Jules x
smooth veggie soup
'smooth' veggie soup
One of the tricks to a great veggie soup is to resist the urge to use stock or bullion. The key is letting
the vegetables speak for themselves. I hate to admit it but I picked up this trick from Gordon Ramsay. I
know, people always surprise you.

per person variations

250g / 1/2lb vegetables (500g / 1lb) broccoli soup - use 1 head broccoli per person and just simmer
1 1/2 cups water in the water. Serve straight up OR top with fresh goats cheese.
2-3 tablespoons butter
squeeze lemon juice, optional cauliflower - replace the broccoli with frozen peas or finely
sliced fresh veg. Snow peas, sugarsnap peas, celery & carrots are
all good.

mushroom - roast mushies (200C/400F) until brown and soft,

about 30 minutes. Simmer as per the recipe.
1. Pop your kettle on to boil.

2. Chop vegetables into bight sized pieces.
3. Place veg and boiling water in a medium saucepan.
Bring to the boil. Cover.
4. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until veg are tender.
Hard veg like pumpkin, carrots or parsnip will take more like
30-45 minutes depending on how small you chop them.
5. Add butter. Puree with a stick blender until you have a
lovely smooth soup.
6. Taste and season with salt, pepper and a generous
squeeze of lemon if you think it needs freshening up.
other veg - carrots, peas (frozen or podded), pumpkin, sweet
potato, parsnip, .
zucchini - use zucchini as the veg. Great with pesto on top.
tomato & basil - replace the veg with a can of tomatoes and
reduce the water to 3/4 cup per person. Leave in the butter, it
softens the acidity of the soup. Serve with a handful of torn basil
leaves on top.
dairy-free - replace the butter with tahini, coconut milk, avocado
or almond meal.

»
video butter alternatives - a dollup of pesto, or serve with a drizzle
of cream or yoghurt, curry paste, coconut milk,
ground almonds, parmesan cheese, goats cheese.
'smooth' veggie soup...
variations [continued] leftover potential?
herby - add fresh herbs as you puree or sprinkle on top before Brilliant! Will keep in the fridge for a week or so. Warm up in the
serving. Basil, mint, parsley & thyme are all great with veg. microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove top. Also freezes well.

richer - add more butter OR add in some cream, sour cream or
yoghurt after you've pureed the soup.
thicker soup - add a handful of couscous to simmer with the
veg.
higher protein / more substantial - halve the amount
of veg and add 1/2 can lentils or beans. Or used your own home
cooked legumes. OR when the soup is pureed, bring back to a
simmer then remove from the heat and stir in a lightly whisked egg.
Stand for a few minutes for the egg to cook.
carnivore - use chicken stock instead of the water and add a
handful of shredded cooked chicken meat after pureeing. Bring
back to a simmer before serving.
problem solving guide
too watery - next time either use more veg or less water. For now
you can simmer for another 10-15 minutes with the lid off to help
reduce the soup. OR try stirring in a few tablespoons of almond meal
or some canned beans or lentils or cooked couscous to thicken it up.
too thick - next time use a smaller saucepan so you get less
evaporation. The good news is this is easy to fix - just add more water!
lumpy - it's important to wait until the veg are cooked and tender
before trying to puree as hard veg will not puree properly. You can
keep simmering for another 5-10 minutes and have another go at
pureeing. OR just change the name to 'chunky veggie soup'.
too bland - season with a little more salt & pepper.

fiery - add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes. serving suggestions
Best served HOT. Bread and butter on the side can be lovely.
curry veg soup - add 1-2 teaspoons curry powder per person
to simmer from the beginning.

dairy-free - replace the butter with tahini, coconut milk, avocado

or almond meal.

water alternatives - vegetable or chicken stock. Canned or

pureed tomatoes.
quick stir fry
quick stir fry
The Chinese sure know a thing or two about quick cooking. If you're new to stir frying, checkout [How to
Stir Fry] on Stonesoup.

per person variations

150g-200g (5-6oz) protein, finely sliced
1/2-1 tablespoon aromatics
250-300g (7-10oz) vegetables, chopped
1-3 tablespoons sauce
small handful garnish / highlight
protein -minced (ground) meat - beef, chicken, lamb,
turkey, pork, veal, buffalo.
tender cuts of meat, finely sliced across the grain -
steak, eye fillet of beef (fillet mignon), lamb fillet or backstraps, pork
fillet, pork shoulder, chicken breast, chicken thighs.

veggie protein - tofu, cashews, almonds, seitan, eggs (cook as

1. Heat a wok on a fierce heat.
2. Add a little oil and stir fry the protein and aromatics until
no longer pink. Remove from the heat and place in a clean
bowl.
3. Add the vegetables and stir fry until they are wilted
or tender – a few minutes for leafy veg like bok choy, 5
minutes or more for crunchy veg like carrots.
4. Return the aromatics and protein to the pan. Add the
sauce. Stir fry for another few seconds or until everything
is hot. Taste. Season.
an omelette in the base of the wok then slice and stir through at the
end), cooked or canned lentils, cooked or canned beans.
aromatics - use one or a combo of finely chopped fresh red
chilli, garlic and/or ginger. Deseed the chilli if you're sensitive to
heat. OR double it if you like it hot!
fresh veg- use one or a combo of zucchini, carrots, red
capsicum (red bell peppers), bok choy, choy sum, other asian
greens, spinach leaves, green beans, snow peas (mange tout),
shaved cabbage, broccoli, broccolini, cauliflower, sugar snap peas,
fennel, witlof (belgian endive), asparagus.

5. Remove from the heat. Serve sprinkled with the garnish cooked veg - root veg are best pre-cooked - either simmered

»
/ highlight.

video
or roasted in bite sized chunks. Try beets, parsnip, swedes, sweet
potato, pumpkin.
quick stir fry...
variations [continued]
sauces (asian) - My go-to stir fry sauce is just soy or tamari (a
gluten-free soy). Other times I use oyster sauce, fish sauce, hoisin
sauce or sriracha (chilli sauce).
sauces (non-asian) - don't feel like your stir fry has to have an
asian vibe. Try worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce
or pesto.
herby garnish / highlight - try fresh coriander (cilantro), basil,
mint, parsley, oregano, chives, green onions or even thyme.
crunchy garnish / highlight - nuts especially cashews or
almonds, super finely sliced red onion, sesame seeds, sunflower
seeds
other garnish / higlight - sesame oil, pesto, extra chilli.
serve- straight up in little bowls with chopsticks. Or with steamed
rice or [raw veg 'rice'] .
fiery - serve a side dish of chilli sauce or chilli oil.
more substantial - toss in some cooked noodles, lentils,
chickpeas or steamed rice. And cook until hot.
leftover potential?
OK. But best when hot from the wok. Just keep in the fridge for up to
a week or two and reheat in the wok or frying pan. You could freeze
but it's not going to help the texture.
problem solving guide
tough protein - it's super important to use a tender cut of meat,
or ground meat with stir frying. Cutting the meat as thinly as possible
across the 'grain' (or muscle fibres) makes a big difference too. Over
cooked meat will be tough and dry so make sure you only cook it
for long enough to change the colour. Unfortunately there isn't really
anything you can do to 'fix' tough meat. Another cause is if the heat
isn't hot enough or if you add too much food to the wok and it 'stews'
or simmers rather than being seared. If you find this happening, stop
and remove the food from the wok. Start again and cook the food in
batches.
burning - you're not stirring fast enough! Adding the sauce too early
can cause it to burn as well.
veg too crunchy - it's important to finely slice your veg so they
cook as quickly as possible.
too bland - season with more sauce or salt & pepper.
to dry - try adding a little more oil or sauce or both.
serving suggestions
Best served HOT straight from the wok in bowls with chopsticks.
 For my dearest friend, Missy Helgs
My favourite living example of a non-planner becoming a 'systems queen'
with love xx

© Jules Clancy 2014

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